achates | [DAY 1-]

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[DAY 1-]

The night drags on.

The moon, full and bright, illuminates the world below as demons rise in indulgence of the hunt. All those who are not securely tucked away become prey, whose blood runs freely down the streets, whose screams fill the air in symphony, whose lives are snuffed out one by one as the night grows darker- but not quieter, no. Towards the far west, wind picks up in a deafening howl that tears through the forest violently enough to uproot trees, followed by a thunderous explosion atop the wall that sends large chunks of rock crashing down on parts of the immobile train, creating shockwaves felt all the way into town. Dark clouds gather overhead, smothering the moon and unleashing a downpour that continues unrelentingly until dawn, when the paltry sunlight behind the clouds is only enough to see that the rain that falls is in fact blood, thick and warm, coating the rooftops and the streets. Rivulets trickle towards the east, where they spill over the edges of the world and into the cavernous abyss of a mouth below.

Those who sleep will dream. They dream of being flat on their back, lying on hard metal, a warm breeze caressing their cheek, the faint scent of cherry blossom in the air. They dream of their bodies feeling like lead, heavy and unable to move, hardly able to breathe— and all the while in complete darkness. Whether they give in to exhaustion or struggle valiantly against it, they will eventually open their eyes to a different scene: of somebody's home before here, you and that person reliving the very last memory they had before waking up in the train just yesterday. It's a memory that culminates in darkness. Give in. Struggle. Open your eyes again and again and again, and eventually you will wake up to what you wish were just another bad dream: the unfortunate plane of existence we call reality.

It may not be a good morning, but it's morning. If characters glance at their COMP, they will see a bright number 7 on the screen that disappears as their chosen AI chimes in with a good morning greeting ("Whoa! Congrats on surviving the night, boss!" or "Yikes, you look like shit. Did you get any rest at all?"). Pulling up the map function shows fewer blue ally dots as expected, but perhaps unexpectedly, much fewer red enemy dots as well: there are very few demons to be seen, and those that are, show little interest in hunting unless they are attacked first. The forest is still and quiet, red Mandrake leaves littering the floor in abundance but the demons remain rooted underground, the Hares of Inaba huddled snug within their dens, bird demons taken roost underneath the canopy to keep out of the blood rain. The concert hall is silent today, guards at the door watchful and ready to snipe intruders. Inside the powerplant, the giant Ooze spreads lazily across the first floor, filling the space wall to wall, acid seeping underneath the front doors and burning its way outside. Indoors, outdoors, demons keep to themselves, seemingly sated.

It's almost peaceful. If you didn't know better.

The drizzle of blood tapers off over the course of Day 1, replaced by normal rain once night hits. The water that falls is clear, though bitter and metallic tasting, and the stormy weather continues for several days more. The temperature outside dips, even during the daytime, and the hunger that continues to persist (unless you're BB, who ate a Pixie, maybe) is made worse by the appearance of a hot dog stand that has been set up in front of the school building. Its existence in this place is wholly suspicious, entirely nonsensical, manifested as if out of a yandere devil summoner fever dream— and yet the mystery meat smells divine, and you are so so hungry.

"Hee-ho! Get your hot dogs here-ho! What? What kind of mee-hee-t is in it, ho? Don't worry about it, ho!"

JACK FROST

LOCATION
hot dog stand

STRENGTH
ice

WEAKNESS
fire

INFORMATION:
Jack Frost is a spirit originating from England who brings in cold weather during the winter and is responsible for the frost that forms on the windows of homes and buildings. Though it is usually friendly and innocent, it also has a mischievous personality and will freezes those it dislikes to death, smiling all the while.

SKILLS:
Mabufudyne: heavy ice damage (multi-target)
Megidolaon: mega almighty damage (multi-target)

NOTE: This demon is non-recruitable.

Can anybody resist that cute face? never mind the sales pitch. Jack Frost will operate on a barter system, though it really only seems interested in people's gemstones, or if they're willing to slaughter and bring it a Katakirauwa in exchange for a cold but still delicious hotdog dressed up in any variety of condiment. For those who muster the courage to go demon hunting to earn their meal, they will find that a single hotdog will stave off hunger for up to three days. For those who gave up their gemstone instead, K5 will be screaming at them not to do that, but also, please tell me. Maybe they'll rethink the offer, noticing that the gemstones they'd found on their person now feel slightly warm to the touch- growing warmer when in proximity to another person's gemstones, their colors more vibrant, stones faintly glowing as if with internal light.

Generous as Jack Frost is with providing dubious sustenance, it's a different story when it comes to the vending machine beside its stall. Inside are various drinks guaranteed to be cold, and include bottled water, coffee, teas, juices, blood and tears and many other questionable unlabeled liquids among its touted 100!!! varieties of beverage ("""beverage"""). Two problems: 1) there is no selection button, so you do not get to choose your drink; and 2) the machine will only take macca. Where to get macca? Figure that out yourself and earn your drink gacha.

[ Locked pending: SCHOOL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: GREENHOUSE investigation ]

[ Locked pending: HOSPITAL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: CONCERT HALL investigation ]

[ Locked pending: POWERPLANT investigation ]

OOC

Since I know a handful of you are still working on apps, this event log in general will be open to all players, but Investigations will be closed to current players only. See below for more information.

On Day 1 only, wild demon encounters will be scarce and it will rain blood all day, after which the weather will transition into normal rain and demon encounters will also return to normal rates, less during the day and more frequent after dark.

When characters fall asleep any time in the next several days (including victims of the concert hall lullaby that will begin again starting Day 2, as well as inadvertent naps for those of you who are like lmao yeah whatever, i don't need sleep, i'm fine), they will be able to see the circumstances around other characters' canonpoints. This dream may take the form of being a bystander, or from the point of view of the character, whichever would be more fun/interesting to play.

Players can advance time by posting new logs set on the current or next IC date— don't be afraid to advance time as needed! Plot beats will be adjusted accordingly, and there'll be ample warning if plot necessitates a deadline or specific event date for any reason. If you have any trigger warnings, please let me know here! Comments are screened, and warnings will be listed in the log format post for player awareness.

As characters investigate different locations in the setting, more aspects of the game will be unlocked and will be updated in the post above. In summary, from the previous TDM event, characters have found doors sealed by barriers in the school, greenhouse, and hospital. The concert hall and powerplant are still both heavily guarded by demons that prevent thorough investigation until dealt with.

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[Oh, Shun'ya's unsure if they should be openly spreading this information on a network no one can really guess the security of... but it would be a good idea to know just how helpless this group was...]

i'm skilled in a wide range of weaponry and magical arts (tho the latter is, of course, restricted as it is for everyone here!) and am heavily armed ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

[ She's evaluated risk and reward and ultimately had the same thought: they're better off knowing who can defend themselves and who can't.

Besides, what she has provided, some have already observed. ]

Heavily? I must have overlooked something before.

[ A joke. He made at least the two plainly visible. ]

Hopefully there are more of us armed than not. What I've seen so far is mixed.

well technically speaking everyone here is armed no?

COMPs and demons... the most dangerous weapons of all in this place, because they're all being used by a bunch of amateurs (ˉ▽ˉ；)

I suppose I prefer weapons that won't turn around and eat me on a whim.

But then, I'm one such amateur.

you are and being devoured by your own demonic servant is one of the biggest risks any newbie devil summoner has to wrangle

so you get points for being aware of that at least lol

the issue with amateurs is that they tend to anthropomorphise their servants... or just have no idea what they're doing and get eaten, tricked, or foolishly think of themselves as invincible so bite off more than they could chew...

[Shun'ya is so rude... he's such a rude guy...]

Perhaps you could give lessons then, if you were so inclined.

[ It's a half-joke. She doesn't expect anyone to go to that trouble for strangers really. ]

In any case, I don't see myself relying on any strength but my own if I have any choice.

[ He may or may not have seen that despite having a Hare of Inaba, she showed up at the church with bandages. She didn't heal herself until after she's spoken with Minato and after making...blooderscotch... To trade for the heal. ]

hm now then.

its one thing to teach people how to use conventional weapons

but devil summoning?

thats a little trickier. its not a simple case of skill its about spiritual fortitude and mental robustness. that can be taught to an extent, but its preferable to teach it when they're still young children, or if they have yknow time to learn, which they dont here.

theres a reason most long-lived devil summoners are those taught from a very young age.

Your expectations for this group must be low, in that case.

rock-bottom.

its best to keep your expectations low in these situations. it allows you to manage your hopes and cushion any disappointment yknow?

I'm used to relying on myself, so that's not a problem for me.

[ The earliest memories that she can recall formed that in her. Shaped her. ]

hah it may be a problem for you here

the lone wolf dies but the pack survives as the saying goes

So you'll stick around with a pack you've described as an effective liability?

yup because itd be bad of me to abandon you guys when i can help you. im managing my expectations but that doesnt mean im gonna be an asshole about it

Is that something your mentor'd disapprove of, leaving others behind?

(no subject)

foxchild - 2024-09-29 11:54 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

purport - 2024-09-29 16:47 (UTC) - Expand

I'm as defenseless as a hapless maiden if not for my demons, as you well know. I've seen what you can do with your tanto; I'm willing to take lessons if you're willing to teach.

[Shun'ya can practically hear Alice struggling to choke down her pride here.]

im flattered you think to ask little ol' me for help, miss alice! ο(=•ω＜=)ρ⌒☆

but sure i can show you how to stick the pointy bit into your enemy rather than yourself. you'll need to provide your own stabber tho

[Around an hour later:]

Cait Sith successfully mugged. Where should I meet you?

that was fast.

the church. safer to practice there.

[Alice arrives in a snazzy new outfit and with a Cait Sith's saber (really more of a curved shortsword, given how small the sword is proportionally to a human) sheathed at her side.]

At this point, the Cait Sith are probably plotting revenge on me for how I've been antagonizing them, but needs must and all that.

[A sigh.] Let's get started.

[When Alice arrives, Shun'ya's finished making a mock-up of a target dummy using all those blankets and spare clothes they pilfered from the train, as well as some lumbar just lying around (hey, no one in this town was using it).]

Don't sound too excited now.

[He settles his hands on his hips, looking her up and down with a scrutinising stare.]

...okay, tell me what you know about knife fighting, even if it's from movies or anime.

Always stay on the move, be mindful of your range and your opponent's at all times, don't be afraid to parry strikes with your off hand but direct blocking a hit is a good way to lose all your blood very quickly, never put any part of your body past your knife, and reverse grip looks cool but its use is situational.

[Alice shrugs.]

You can thank my family's resident serial killer wannabe for teaching me all that. It was his idea of "sibling bonding." I was too much of a wuss back then to put any of it into practice, though.

So, you know the generic stuff at least. Alright.

[With that he sidesteps from his little target doll and gestures at it.]

Lemme see what I'm working with. Attack the training dummy like you would in actual combat. I'll just observe to see what needs working on.

[Alice nods, then dashes forward without another word. She puts every word of advice that her "wannabe serial killer" family member taught her into practice—darting in and out of range, shifting from blind spot to blind spot, staying behind her knife at all times, mixing up her attacks and grips fluidly... the only real flaw in her form is that when she goes to stab, for a tenth of a second it seems like she's about to punch instead before she course-corrects.

Honestly, it looks like she doesn't need instruction at all.

After a minute of this, she skips back to Shun'ya without having broken a sweat.] So? What do I need to work on? [It's the moment that she asks that question that the last flurry of slashes she left on the dummy open up into wide gashes, spilling cloth everywhere.]

Edited 2024-09-29 01:25 (UTC)

Nothing.

[Shun'ya looks wryly amused as he says this, his gaze heavy-lidded as he looks at Alice.]

Well, I lied, there's plenty you can improve on but... for the basics, you're skilled enough. It seems you already know how to fight, Miss Alice. You just forgot.

[Alice glances between her saber, the training dummy, and her saber again.]

I know the saying is to not look a gift horse in the mouth or whatever, but this is getting absurd.

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